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MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. -- Mayor Richard Thomas has announced a continuation of his initiative to streamline government services in Mount Vernon with an audit of the Department of Buildings.

The Thomas administration will review the functionality of the department and make recommendations as to how to streamline workflows and enhance services.

Thomas has also taken steps to improve the efficiency of public meetings. Since taking office, Thomas has held monthly department meetings with a firm agenda in place. These meetings open with a public comment period, and then department heads submit their reports and discuss operational matters. The department head meetings now take about 45 minutes, down from an average of two hours.

Thomas said, “My goal is to run City Hall like a business. We will be going department to department, analyzing the various functions, roles and responsibilities, and workflow within each to make them better. We will redesign where necessary to alleviate bottlenecks and provide the best customer service to our taxpayers. We are starting with the Department of Buildings and will continue with every department under the authority of the mayor.

“We have also structured monthly meetings to run in a more efficient manner. I have used the example set by Mayor Ronald Blackwood and have crafted a meeting format that ensures the public is heard, departmental reports are received, urgent matters are addressed, and city operations flow efficiently.”